Reno 911! - The Complete First Season DVD Review

When the MTV sketch comedy series The State ended in 1995, it left 11 gifted comedians looking for a new project. While several of the members went off to write, direct and star in their own films (chiefly Wet Hot American Summer in 2002,) members Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Ben Garant created several shows for Comedy Central, including the short-lived Viva Variety! and, now, the much more successful Reno 911!. The DVD of the Complete First Season introduces the inept deputies of the Reno sheriff's department and is a strong start to one of television's funniest shows.

Faux-reality show - slash - COPS-spoof Reno 911! chronicles the exploits of seven inept members of the police department in Reno, Nevada. The misfit deputies, under the command of their short-shorted leader, Lt. Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon of The State), are as follows: the perpetually angry Deputy Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui); the bootylicious Deputy Williams (Niecy Nash); Deputy Junior (Ben Garant, The State), who's less than a little smart and more than a little redneck; spaced-out Deputy Wiegel (Kerri Kenney, The State); ladies' man Deputy Jones (Cedric Yarbrough), and every man's lady Deputy Clementine Johnson (Wendi McLendon-Covey).

Reno 911! is essentially a sketch comedy show, but does what hardly any other sketch show can do: build its material using the same seven characters in every episode. It allows for the humor to gradually develop out of the characters as well as out of the gags, and that's rare for series TV (it's the kind of comedy The Simpsons has been turning out for years). What's more, it has an impressive ability to avoid repeating itself; sure, there are recurring characters and situations, but each time the cast (I would credit the writers, but the show is largely ad-libbed by its gifted ensemble) finds a new spin to put on the scene. You're never laughing at the same thing twice.

Reno 911! doesn't mock political correctness as much as it locks it up in a small box and tortures it, so if you're the type that's easily offended, you may want to look the other way. Sexuality, race, class -- everything is gleefully skewered, often with a generous dose of vulgarity (unlike some recent "uncensored" TV show releases, Reno's blue language is still bleeped on the DVD release, and I would argue it's funnier with the bleeping still intact).

Here's an example: discussing the departmental raffle for two tickets to an upcoming execution, Deputy Junior states, "Winning the tickets to this execution would be like going to see NASCAR and you know Jeff Gordon is gonna die." Is it in good taste? Hell, no. Is it funny? Hell, yes -- to me, at least. Your reaction will let you know where you stand.

The extras on The Complete First Season DVD provide some nice dressing, but the episodes themselves are what should drive you to this box. There are a handful of (four, officially) commentaries by individual cast members and director Michael Patrick Jann (who's also responsible for the equally vulgar and underrated Drop Dead Gorgeous). There's also a bonus commentary (available by selecting the blue thumbtack icon on the second episode) which collects the entire cast as they attempt to recreate the dialogue and sound effects for that show. It's a funny idea, but wears its welcome out after just a few minutes.

The best extra on the set is the collection of deleted scenes and alternate takes. Here, you're able to see scenes from start to finish and without any cuts. Watching the scenes this way gives you a far greater appreciation for the level of improvisatory talent assembled in the cast; they build the scene from the ground up, riffing funnier dialogue inside of five minutes than most sitcom writers will pen in their entire lifetimes. It also increases your appreciation for the show's clever editing; there's so much going on in one scene that you're thankful to have your attention focused in the finished product.

DVD Details

• Release Date: July 22, 2004
• Running Time: 337 minutes
• 1.33:1 Full Frame format
• Dolby Digital 2.0 Audio (English)
• Studio: Paramount

DVD Bonus Features

• Cast Episode Commentaries
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes